Wind turbines power new homes
Posted: Sunday, October 19, 2008
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- Several houses east of Box Elder and near Piedmont are getting their electrical power from 30-foot-tall wind turbines.
The turbines are part of a new technology that includes electric and fuel-powered hybrid vehicles and energy-efficient appliances, said Ryan Kaski, president of Kaski Homes, which builds the homes and installs the turbines.
"People are doing it with vehicles and with different applications," he said. "But we didn't see, in this area anyway, people doing that with residential."
Kaski's company says the three 6-foot-long turbine blades are designed to survive 140 mph winds and can produce 2.4 kilowatts of electricity, more than enough for a house.
Hybrid homes are the look of the future, said Dusty Johnson, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission member. "Long term, our homes are going to look like that more than they look today," he said.
Wind turbines connect to the power grid because wind conditions fluctuate. The grid compensates for the turbines when the wind isn't blowing very hard. If the turbines create more power than the home needs, the extra energy is added to the power grid.
"It creates a credit on your utility bill," said real estate agent Jami Poeppel.
Johnson said the PUC has worked hard to come up with grid connection standards for use by the various utilities.
"We want to make interconnection a lot easier for small wind and other generating units," he said.
Zoning laws and building permits are a factor.
"So there's quite a bit of paperwork and footwork that goes along with it," Kaski said. "You wouldn't put one up right away, unless you wanted to take it down the next day."
The turbines are made to last 20 years, don't involve batteries, won't interfere with television signals and won't make much noise, he said.
"You're going to get some noise, but they've designed and engineered the blades so they'll minimize that," he said.
Poeppel said the wind turbines caught the eye of a family moving to the area from Arizona.
"When they saw the wind turbine idea, they got really excited and bought the home with the turbine package," she said.
Turbines add $15,000-$18,000 to the home's cost, Poeppel said.
The turbines are part of a new technology that includes electric and fuel-powered hybrid vehicles and energy-efficient appliances, said Ryan Kaski, president of Kaski Homes, which builds the homes and installs the turbines.
"People are doing it with vehicles and with different applications," he said. "But we didn't see, in this area anyway, people doing that with residential."
Kaski's company says the three 6-foot-long turbine blades are designed to survive 140 mph winds and can produce 2.4 kilowatts of electricity, more than enough for a house.
Hybrid homes are the look of the future, said Dusty Johnson, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission member. "Long term, our homes are going to look like that more than they look today," he said.
Wind turbines connect to the power grid because wind conditions fluctuate. The grid compensates for the turbines when the wind isn't blowing very hard. If the turbines create more power than the home needs, the extra energy is added to the power grid.
"It creates a credit on your utility bill," said real estate agent Jami Poeppel.
Johnson said the PUC has worked hard to come up with grid connection standards for use by the various utilities.
"We want to make interconnection a lot easier for small wind and other generating units," he said.
Zoning laws and building permits are a factor.
"So there's quite a bit of paperwork and footwork that goes along with it," Kaski said. "You wouldn't put one up right away, unless you wanted to take it down the next day."
The turbines are made to last 20 years, don't involve batteries, won't interfere with television signals and won't make much noise, he said.
"You're going to get some noise, but they've designed and engineered the blades so they'll minimize that," he said.
Poeppel said the wind turbines caught the eye of a family moving to the area from Arizona.
"When they saw the wind turbine idea, they got really excited and bought the home with the turbine package," she said.
Turbines add $15,000-$18,000 to the home's cost, Poeppel said.
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